Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) (Time To Celebrate?)

So, Spider-Man has come back home to Marvel. Well, sort of. Sony have gone halves on Spider-Man with Marvel Studios after their first reboot of the franchise flopped. We first saw Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Now, he’s got his own movie, Marvel Studios style! The critical reaction is fairly positive, with most critics comparing it to a John Hughes movie with glued in action scenes (I’ve even read a review that calls it the best Marvel film in years). I’d rate it as the best Spider-Man since Spider-Man 2, but that’s no hard feat, is it? In fact, I left the cinema disappointed.

Review: Batman Returns (1992) (Or…How To Do A Sequel That Breaks The Mould)

“What are you waiting for? The signal!”

Batman Returns was released in cinemas 25 years ago (plus a few days!). So what better time to review what was then only the second superhero sequel out there! Tim Burton was hemmed in by the demands of Warner Bros for Batman (1989). However, for the sequel, Burton had free rein to do what he wanted. There’s no denying he went full-Burton for Batman Returns…which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s the most stylish Batman film thus far. The plot and the pacing are all over the place. Sometimes too much Burton can be a bad thing…But he must be commended for creating a sequel that doesn’t pander to the audience or to studio executives, like most of the superhero sequels we see today.

Review: Birdman (2014) (Keaton Returns!)

“How did we end up here?”

I highly anticipated ‘Birdman,’ but failed to catch it at the cinema. So I had to wait until it was released on home video. The extra months of anticipation could have built up the movie to an unimaginable degree in my mind. But after watching it, I can confirm that it fully deserved the Oscar for Best Picture. What I witnessed was not only a masterclass in editing, filming and directing, but a timely and imposing meditation on the great themes of our times (and other times). What is the measure of a man? What defines success? Is show business worth it? And, to paraphrase the title of Raymond Carver’s short story, what do we talk about when we talk about love?